Appearance- Pours up a very good amount of head which has pretty good retention as well. The head is medium to dark beige while the body is an opaque, dark chocolate black. A considerable amount of lacing has been left so far.

Nose- Not a lot of presence or anything out of the ordinary but still has a bit of character to it. Some cocoa, caramel, maybe even a little bit of bubblegum. Some roasted notes that give off a light sour coffee smell from the glass. Some hints of chocolate but more cocoa than anything else.

Taste- Starts off with huge roasted notes that have cocoa and some chocolate around the edges. Big notes of coffee but not much else at the moment. There is a slight sour/sweetness from the coffee. Didn't really expect this from a Winter Warmer but this pretty much tastes like an average to above average robust porter/stout (I know, what's the difference). Slight bits of citrus (orange) and tiny bits of pine and resin which blend in well with the woody finish. Not terribly complex but seems fairly balanced and integrated. No real comparison the big, bad stouts that I love but a fairly solid stout. Or thicker porter. Whatever.

Mouthfeel- Medium to heavy bodied with a very slight grittiness to it. Slightly dry finish.

Drinkability- Definitely easygoing but a little boring. Okay price of 5-6 bucks for a bomber. Not interesting enough for me to return to this over similarly priced beers in the style.

Overall- Above average to good. I would give it a try but I could save the trouble by pointing out that it's not really a “Winter Warmer” (the style is vague) but a basic stout with some inclinations toward coffee. I imagine it's a pretty good staple for someone in Idaho.

O: Not sure if Winter Warmer is more accurate than Porter, but I'll let someone else debate that. This seems close to Crooked Fence's 3 Picket Porter, without the addition of many holiday-type spices or anything of the like. Drinkable and safe, but unimpressive.

Flavor pretty much mirrors the nose with a good bitterness that balances out the malts.. Hops are there, but I am having a hard time identifying their essence.. I would guess a bit of American citrus hops.. Again this tastes very "brown".. dark toast.. a bit of burnt malt.. more chocolate than straight cocoa... verging on porter territory..

Body is a solid medium with a light/medium carbonation that adds to the drinkability for me.

Damn.. I normally don't drink many dark ales, but Crooked Fence is making inroads for me... I like this.. Well done Winter Warmer in a city that is awash for months in the style.